The mother of Nottingham attacks victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar says she fears she and her family could “crumble” once the public inquiry into the tragedy comes to an end.
Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates were killed by Valdo Calocane on 13 June 2023. Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, later pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.
The Nottingham Inquiry, which began hearing evidence in February, is due to hear closing statements on Tuesday and Wednesday before publishing its findings.
Nottingham attacks inquiry reaches final stage
For Grace’s mother, Dr Sinead O’Malley-Kumar, the conclusion of the inquiry will not represent an end to the family’s ordeal.
Instead, she believes it could mark the beginning of a deeper period of grieving after months of confronting evidence about the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.
“I think when the public inquiry is over, when these constant revelations start to die down – I hope they will because it’s unimaginable – I think that’s when we will potentially really crumble,” Sinead said.
She said the family has focused on creating a legacy for Grace by trying to make the country safer and prevent another family from experiencing a similar tragedy.
However, she said they have not yet been able to return to anything resembling a normal life.
“That’s when you really feel your profound loss, it’s when life gets back to normal – and it’s just not normal at the moment – or when it tries to get back to a new normality without your daughter.”
Inquiry exposes failures before attacks
Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting the manslaughter and attempted murder charges.
Following his sentencing, details emerged about failures in his care and previous interactions with police. Those revelations contributed to calls for a public inquiry.
The inquiry was commissioned in 2025 following campaigning by the affected families.
Its purpose has been to examine Calocane’s treatment and interactions with police before the attacks, the response of law enforcement during the killings and what happened afterwards.
More than 100 witnesses have given evidence, including police officers, NHS mental health professionals, survivors and relatives of those who died.
Families confront weeks of harrowing evidence
The inquiry has highlighted several significant failures.
Among them was the decision by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to discharge Calocane months before the attacks.
The inquiry also examined the failure by police to execute an arrest warrant for Calocane, which remained active on the day of the killings.
Sinead said listening to the evidence had been deeply distressing.
“It’s ongoing, it’s harrowing, it’s heartbreaking, and when you just have one failure after another, you start to lose a lot of your faith in humanity,” she said.
She added: “Grieving for Grace, it seems to be just the beginning.”
Grace’s family wants lasting change
Grace’s parents, Sinead and Dr Sanjoy Kumar, have repeatedly said they want the inquiry to lead to meaningful changes that could prevent similar tragedies.
Sanjoy said the families had been promised that investigators would leave “no stone unturned”.
“We have lost everything there is, but what we are in it for is that this does not happen to any other family,” he said.
He described preventing another tragedy as his main motivation but warned that the work was not finished.
“There are still several lines of inquiry that are still open, there’s still a lot to do,” he added.
Investigations continue after inquiry hearings
The conclusion of the public hearings will close one chapter for the bereaved families, but several investigations connected to the attacks remain ongoing.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is continuing investigations into aspects of the policing response.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is also the subject of a corporate manslaughter investigation concerning Calocane’s care and treatment. The investigation is being conducted by Northumbria Police.
For the families, the inquiry’s findings will therefore be closely watched as they continue seeking answers and changes following the deaths of Grace, Barnaby and Ian.
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